The Best Man
by njwriter62
Summary: College roommates Bella and Alice go to their friend Rosalie's wedding, and run into a few obstacles along the way. Seeing the gorgeous best man almost makes up for all the trouble.
1. Chapter 1

**The Best Man**

**Chapter 1**

**A/N – Thanks to all my readers for your great feedback on my stories. School is out, and that means it's time for a new one! Hope you enjoy it. Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I just make them wedding guests.**

Bella grabbed her beige strappy sandals out of the suitcase before pulling the zipper closed. She held them up to make sure they matched the delicate lace overlay on her new dress, not that she could do anything about it now. She hopped on one foot as she pulled the strap around her heel, then straightened up and twisted around to look at herself in the mirror.

"Alice, does this look okay?"

Alice bumped her hip on the sink and grimaced, trying to overlook the fact that they were getting dressed in a hotel bathroom. "I picked the dress, and I picked the shoes, Bella. Of course you look wonderful." She pushed Bella out of the way with her elbow and studied her own reflection. "I, on the other hand, look as good as can be expected for someone getting dressed without the appropriate resources."

Bella sighed at her pixie-sized best friend. "It is not my fault that the flight was delayed. It is not my fault there were no cabs. It's not my fault that we arrived here fifteen minutes before Rosalie's wedding. And it is certainly not my fault that we are getting dressed in this bathroom because we don't have time to check into our hotel, which happens to be three very long blocks away."

Alice sprayed them both with a cloud of hair spray. "There. We at least look presentable." She twirled, and looked in the mirror again. "Actually, we look fabulous. Zip the suitcases, and let's go."

"Okay, ready" said Bella, coughing from the hair spray. She pulled both suitcases behind her as Alice held the door. They went to the bellhop and arranged to leave their bags until after the wedding. ""Thanks" said Bella. "Which way is the ballroom?"

He pointed to a hallway on the other side of the lobby, where a small crowd of well-dressed people were hovering.

"Do you see anyone we know?" Alice stood on her tip-toes, which still didn't make her very tall despite the four inch heels.

"I don't" Bella replied, trying to stay upright while she shuffled across the floor in her own high heels. "But there are over two hundred people coming. We're only going to know a handful." She struggled to keep up with Alice. The girl could move. "Can you slow down just a little?"

"No Bella, we can't slow down. The wedding is in five minutes."

Bella stopped in front of a gold sign with elegant script. "Crystal Ballroom. That sounds like Rosalie." She accepted a program from a cute little girl in an overly bright pink dress. "Thank you, sweetheart." A good looking guy in a light gray tuxedo with a pink vest and pink tie approached her.

"Which side?" He held out his arm. "Bride or groom?"

"Bride" Bella replied, slipping her hand around his arm. "Definitely the bride. We haven't actually met the groom yet."

"We're college friends of the bride" Alice chirped. "And we are so excited for this wedding."

He grinned and offered his other arm. "They're just about ready to start, so how about if I escort both of you at once?"

"Deal" said Alice. She winked at the handsome usher and Bella rolled her eyes.

Row upon row of chairs filled the ballroom. Bella took in the hot pink flowers tied with purple ribbon on the end of each row and along the edge of a platform which she guessed was where the ceremony would take place.

The usher showed them to two chairs on the aisle on the bride's side. "I hope I'll see both you beautiful ladies at the reception" he said, before heading back down the aisle.

"Hot pink and purple?" Bella whispered to Alice. "Do you remember Rosalie saying anything about hot pink?"

"It's not exactly her usual style" said Alice. "She's usually more…understated." She looked around the room. "It's kind of pretty, in an over the top sort of way."

"It looks like a bottle of Pepto-Bismol exploded."

Alice nearly choked. She smacked Bella's arm. "Shut up, they're starting."

A handsome man with dark hair and blue eyes came out of a side door, and walked to the front of the platform. His tuxedo was the same light gray as the ushers, but cut in a different style.

"That must be the groom. Emmett, right?" Bella leaned toward Alice to get a better view. He was tall and thin and looked a little nervous.

"I thought she said Emmett was kind of muscular" said Alice.

Bella shrugged. "I thought so too. Isn't he some kind of personal trainer? Maybe…" She stopped mid-sentence and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the man standing next to the groom. He was just as tall, but a little more filled out. Kind of deliciously filled out, thought Bella. He had beautiful reddish brown hair with just the tiniest bit of curl. When he turned to face the crowd, he flashed a grin that was full of mischief. Three other groomsmen followed, but she couldn't take her eyes off him. She whispered in Alice's ear. "Now, that's my idea of a best man."

Alice slapped her hand over her mouth to keep a giggle from escaping. "Bella Swan!"

They both turned when they heard the music start. A flower girl in hot pink made her way down the aisle, followed by a three bridesmaids.

"I don't know if I can take any more hot pink" said Alice. "Oh look, at least the maid of honor has purple flowers."

Bella squinted. "Isn't Rosalie's cousin Angela supposed to be the maid of honor? Angela has brown hair, not blonde."

"That's definitely not Angela" Alice replied. "Check the program."

Bella looked at the program the little flower girl had given her. "This says the maid of honor is Jessica Stanley."

"I don't know who that is" said Alice. "Do you remember Rosalie ever mentioning anyone by that name?"

Bella read a bit more. "It says she's Tanya's cousin. Who's Tanya?"

"Oh no" said Alice. She nodded at the bride, who stood in the back on the room on the arm of an older man, obviously her father. "I have a feeling that's Tanya."

Bella grabbed the program from her chair. "Tanya and Embry?" Her eyes went wide. "Alice, we're at the wrong wedding!" She pulled the invitation out of her purse. "But…this is the right hotel. We have to be in the right place. Twilight Ballroom, right?"

"No, this is the Crystal Ballroom" Alice hissed. "How are we going to get out of here?"

The wedding march sounded and everyone stood. Both girls turned to the side, desperate to escape. Twenty people stood between them and the other end of the row. So much for that idea. There was no way they could get out of the room except by walking back down the aisle.

"We aren't" said Bella. "Just stand up and smile, and hope they have a really short ceremony."

Forty-five minutes later, they were still there, listening to the minister droning on and on about the meaning of love. Even Bella, a hopeless romantic, was getting a little sick of it. When he announced that the bride was going to sing a song to her groom, Bella knew that was it.

"Alice, we have to get out of here now. Quick, while everyone is looking at the bride." They waited till the bride started her off key song. As gracefully as they could manage, they tiptoed down the aisle.

Bella's only regret about sneaking out was leaving the gorgeous best man. There was just something about him, something more than his good looks. Without ever speaking to him, she was sure he was charming. She could see it in his smile, in the way he whispered encouragement in the groom's ear.

She took a quick look back toward the front of the room and found, to her surprise, that he was looking at her. He smiled that heavenly smile and held a finger to his lips as if to tell her to be quiet. Then he winked. Bella nearly tripped and gave them away. Alice grabbed her wrist and hustled her out of the room.

Standing on the make-shift altar, best man Edward Cullen couldn't help but chuckle. He'd spotted the beautiful brunette almost as soon as he walked in the room. Too bad she wasn't sticking around. He couldn't blame her. If he had a way out of this hot pink hell he'd take it too. With a sigh for the lost opportunity to meet the girl who'd taken his breath away, he discretely checked his watch and turned his attention back to Tanya and Embry.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Best Man**

**Chapter 2**

**A/N – Thanks for the responses to the first chapter. It's so exciting to welcome back some of my favorite readers. Your comments are inspiring!**

**Some of you realized pretty quickly that our girls were at the wrong wedding, faster than Bella and Alice figured it out! Too bad about the handsome best man. It's a shame Bella had to leave him behind.**

**Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

* * *

Bella and Alice tiptoed the rest of the way down the aisle and squeezed their way out the door, closing it behind them. Once they were safe, they nearly doubled over with laughter.

"We made it!" Alice wheezed. "We escaped from the pink jungle. Did you see the look the bride shot our way when you tripped?"

Bella took a deep breath. The only look she paid attention to was the one from the best man. "I cannot believe we ended up at the wrong wedding."

"Speaking of which – we need to get going and find the other ballroom. Rosalie is going to kill us for missing her wedding. On second thought, maybe we should just go back to Tanya and Embry. You know how Rosalie gets when she's mad." Alice reached for the door.

"Oh no you don't" said Bella. "We just snuck out of one wedding. We can sneak into Rosalie's and maybe she won't know the difference." Bella shrugged her shoulders.

"Fat chance" said Alice. "This is Rosalie we're talking about." She started to shake with laughter.

Bella planted a hand on her hip. "What are you giggling about now?"

Alice couldn't resist. "We're wedding sneakers!"

Bella had to laugh. "Very funny. Now let's go." She cast a last, longing glance at the door to the pink paradise wedding. As much as she wanted to see Rosalie marry Emmett, she was sure the best man at her friend's wedding wouldn't match up to the bronze haired, green-eyed man at the wedding they'd just left. She sighed deeply, wishing for some parallel universe where their paths would cross again. Unfortunately, things like that never happened to her. She'd just have to dream about him tonight. And maybe every night for the next thirty or forty years.

The two friends took off down the hall as fast as their high heels would allow. Bella did her best to keep up. "It's not fair" she muttered. "If the pixie falls off her shoes, she doesn't have that far to go before she hits the ground."

"I heard that" Alice hissed, grabbing Bella's hand and pulling her even faster. They crossed back through the lobby and saw the same bellhop. "Twilight Ballroom?"

He pointed to the other side of the hotel and shuddered at Alice's expression. "Hey, don't blame me. You never said which ballroom. Besides, this way I get to see you beautiful ladies two times this afternoon. Want to make it three? Maybe after your party?"

Alice glared. "In your dreams, buddy."

"It's Mike, not buddy. And you can't blame a guy for trying."

They kept moving. "Quick, here it is" said Alice, spotting a sign. They rounded the corner and nearly smacked into a beautiful blonde haired woman in the most elegant wedding gown Bella had ever seen.

"Rosalie?"

"Bella! Alice! You made it" said their friend. "Thank God. Why are you so late? What happened?" Rosalie pointed to the man whose arm she held. "You remember my father. Daddy, you know Alice and Bella."

"Of course, girls" said Mr. Hale. "It's been a long time. I think the last time I saw you two was graduation day." He elbowed his daughter. "And I think you were all late that day too."

Rosalie laughed. "Except today we have a good reason." She pointed a long polished fingernail at her friends. "It's lucky for you we changed the time of the wedding, or you would have missed it."

Alice and Bella looked at each other. "You changed the time?" said Bella.

"I had to" she said. "Emmett's best friend had a conflict, so we decided to push it back an hour so he could still be in the wedding." She touched the diamond pendants hanging from her ears. "The invitations had already been mailed, so I just emailed everyone."

"I didn't get an email" said Alice.

"Of course you didn't" said Rosalie. "And here you are, right on time."

"Rosalie, that was really sneaky, even for you…." Bella's protest was interrupted by the sound of loud footsteps and heavy breathing as someone ran up behind her. Her arms broke out in goosebumps and she felt as though something in her world just shifted, though she didn't know what or why. The air around her suddenly became warmer.

"Hey Mr. Hale. Here I am, Rose. Sorry I'm late."

It was the most intriguing voice Bella had ever heard. Even slightly out of breath, it was undeniably male, sexy, soft, velvety. Not words she'd ever used to describe someone's voice before.

"You cannot believe how crazy that wedding was. Please promise me you aren't going to sing to Emmett, or I'm not going in there."

Bella turned and found herself face to face with a gray tuxedo, a pink vest and pink bow tie. She gulped in a quick breath and slowly raised her head until she was staring into a pair of emerald green eyes. "You're him…." she managed.

"You're her…." he answered and started to reach for her hand.

"Edward" Rosalie interrupted. "Please get out of that awful pink stuff and get ready. Emmett is waiting for you in the side room." When he hesitated, she stamped her foot. "Now, Edward."

Reluctantly, he broke away from Bella's gaze and the grin on his face widened. "Did you just stamp your foot?"

Mr. Hale cut in. "Best not to argue with the bride on her wedding day, son."

Edward laughed. "I've learned not to argue with Rosalie any day." The two men laughed. "I'm going."

He disappeared down the hall. Bella watched him go, more than a little confused.

Alice spoke first. "Wasn't he…"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should have introduced you. That's Emmett's best friend, Edward." Rosalie tipped her head. "He's…."

"The best man" said Bella.

"He is" Rose responded. "How did you know?"

"He was the best man at the other wedding" said Alice.

Rosalie started to laugh. "Is that why you're late? You were at Tanya's wedding? How did you end up there?"

"There are two ballrooms, Rose. We had a 50-50 chance, and we picked the wrong one." Alice grimaced. "How do you know Tanya? And why are you getting married the same day?"

Rose shook her head. "I don't really know Tanya. She's Edward's cousin. Emmett and I had already set our wedding date, and of course he asked Edward to be our best man. Lo and behold, a month before our wedding, Tanya pops up pregnant and desperate to get married before she can't fit in the Vera Wang gown she's supposed to wear 6 months from now. So she moves her wedding up and tells Edward he's her favorite cousin and he absolutely has to change his plans."

"Are you kidding?" said Alice.

"Nope" Rose answered. "Miss No-such-thing-as-too-much-pink cries to her daddy that cousin Edward just has to be in her wedding. He's kind of a local celebrity, and Tanya probably figured it would get her in the social pages, even with the change in date. And it seems Tanya always get what she wants. So pushing our wedding back an hour seemed like the best way to go, and the easiest."

Just then a pair of teenaged girls ducked around the corner, looked around as though they weren't at all where they were supposed to be. They were dressed in – what else – pink dresses and Bella recognized them from Tanya's wedding. The braver of the two spoke up.

"Oh wow, you are like, so beautiful" she said to Rose. Then she turned to Bella and Alice. "Do I know you guys?"

Bella just shook her head. She wasn't even going to try and explain that they'd snuck out during the ceremony.

"Anyway" said the girl. "Did you see Edward Cullen go by here?"

"No" said Rose, amused. "Sorry."

"Oh" said the other girl. "I was sure he went this way, Bree."

"Well, you were wrong, Emily." She smiled brightly. "We'll just keep looking for him. If you see him would you tell him Bree was looking for him?" Her friend smacked her on the arm. "And Emily?"

"Of course" Rose replied.

The teenagers argued as they walked away. "When we find him I'm going to ask him to dance" said Emily.

"You are not. I'm asking him to dance first. I'm older than you are, and he'll probably be impressed by my maturity." They disappeared around the corner in the direction of Tanya's reception.

Rose, Alice, and Bella had to laugh. Mr. Hale just shook his head. "Poor Edward."

A tall slender man with shoulder length blonde hair and a heartbreaker of a smile stepped out of a side door and walked to where they were standing. "My, my Rosalie, you look absolutely stunning." He spotted Bella and Alice and smoothed the lapels of his tux. "I heard there were two beautiful ladies out here waiting for someone to escort them to their seats so we can get this wedding underway."

"Girls, you remember my brother Jasper, don't you?"

His eyes were fixed on Alice. "May I escort you?"

"Absolutely" she replied, taking the arm he offered. "You kept me waiting long enough."

Jasper, ever the gentleman, pulled his gaze away from Alice for a second and extended his other arm to Bella. "And you?" With a girl on each arm, he grinned at his sister. "Time to go, Rosie. Emmett is waiting for you."

Rose blushed, something very unusual for her. "And I'm ready to be a married woman. Jasper, give my girls good seats. Here's Angela. We'll be right behind you."

They said a quick hello to Rose's cousin. Then, as Angela fluffed Rosalie's gown, Bella and Alice allowed Jasper to lead them into the room. It was decorated tastefully with bouquets of white roses wrapped in emerald green ribbon. Sconces on the walls bathed the room in candlelight.

"What a difference" Alice whispered. Jasper led them to two seats near the front of the room. Bella didn't miss the slight squeeze he gave Alice's hand, or the sweet, if slightly dazed smile on Alice's face.

The minister entered from a side door, followed by a tall, muscular man that had to be the groom.

"Now that looks more like the Emmett she described" whispered Alice. "And there's your best man."

If Bella thought Edward looked good when she first saw him, it was nothing compared to the way he looked now. He'd traded the pale gray and pink for a dark gray tux, white shirt, gray vest and dark bowtie. His eyes were the color of the emerald ribbon wrapped around his white rose boutonniere, and the reflection from the candlelight made his bronze hair nearly sparkle.

Everyone turned as the doors opened and Angela walked up the aisle, followed by Rosalie and her father. Bella snuck a peek at the front of the room, where Emmett stood with tears in her eyes. Her own eyes filled at the sight. What would it be like to have someone love you that much? To look at you as if you were the most wonderful person they'd ever known, the most beautiful thing they'd ever seen? She sighed. Nothing in her undistinguished love life so far even came close to that.

She watched, amused, as Edward discreetly handed Emmett a handkerchief and gave his friend's arm a reassuring squeeze. Turning back to the aisle, she watched as Rose walked slowly toward her groom, somehow looking even more beautiful than she had a few minutes ago in the hallway. Bella smiled, so happy for her friend. She chanced another peek at the front, and her smile turned to a quiet gasp when she realized that while everyone else's eyes were on Rosalie, Edward Cullen's eyes were on hers instead. They stood, each in their place, staring at each other, until Jasper tapped Edward on the arm and pointed him toward Rosalie and Emmett.

Edward didn't want to look away from Bella, from her beautiful chocolate brown eyes that were just a little wide with, he hoped, the same kind of feeling he was experiencing. But because Emmett was his best friend, and Rosalie would kill him if he messed up, he turned to face his friends and do his duty as best man. But later, he thought, later he'd find a way to stare into those eyes again. And maybe to find out if those lips were as soft as they looked.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Best Man**

**Chapter 3**

**A/N: **Yes, two weddings in the same day. Edward's a popular guy, isn't he? Thanks for the lovely reviews!

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present for the first time anywhere Mr. and Mrs. Emmett McCarty."

Rosalie thrust her bouquet in the air in triumph, as her new husband shouted "Oh yeah!"

The minister and everyone else in the room laughed at the obviously overjoyed couple. Emmett escorted his bride down the aisle, high-fiving everyone along the way. They were followed by Edward and Angela. When he got to Bella's row, Edward couldn't resist a wink, hoping she wouldn't think it was too cheesy.

"Bella, he winked at you" Alice said in her ear.

"He could have been winking at anyone" Bella replied, though she sincerely hoped she was wrong.

"I'm never wrong about these things" Alice retorted. "You should know that by now." Alice was rarely wrong about matters of the heart. "Oh my" she said, trailing off as Jasper appeared and offered her his arm.

"May I escort you to the reception?" Jasper grinned down at her. "It seems my ushering duties are done, and I'm allowed to just be the brother of the bride again."

"Absolutely" said Alice. "Bella…" she said, not wanting to abandon her friend.

"Just go, Alice. I'm never wrong about these things." Bella gave her a goofy smile and shooed them both away. Contrary to what she just said, Bella felt as though she was always wrong about these things. Alice was the one who seemed to have the sixth sense when it came to relationships. Bella just…didn't.

She followed the rest of the crowd into the adjacent ballroom. Row upon row of tables were decorated with vases of white roses, gleaming white candles, beautiful white china and sparkling crystal glassware. Emerald green napkins gave a touch of color to the elegant setting.

Bella made her way to the long table filled with place cards and looked for her name. She found it, and saw she would be at Table 7. She was relieved to see that Alice would be at the same table. They hadn't had much time to look around, since they were so late, and she wondered if any other college friends were there.

"Lucky 7, huh?"

Bella whipped around at the sound of his voice, nearly falling. He reached out and grabbed her arms to steady her, and she swore it felt like sparks where his skin met hers.

"I thought maybe if I was nice to Rose, she'd let me switch to your table, but there's this whole best man thing I've gotta do." His smile was dazzling. "I'm Edward Cullen."

"Bella Swan" she replied. "I guess it wouldn't be good if you weren't at the head table with the rest of the bridal party. And trust me…"

"You don't want to cross Rose" they said in unison, then broke into laughter. Her laugh was enchanting, and Edward knew he'd do anything to hear it again.

"Edward, there you are" said Angela. "Sorry you two, but we have to take a few more pictures before everything starts."

Edward started to apologize, but Bella waved him off. "Best man. I get it."

"My first dance is spoken for, but will you promise me the second?" He ran the tips of his fingers down her arm, and gently squeezed her hand.

"Of course" said Bella, a bit dazed.

Alice appeared beside her, all but bouncing. "Bella, he really likes you." She plucked her own place card from the table. "Let's go find our table while they're doing the pictures. And I don't know about you, but I could certainly use a glass of that champagne the waiters are carrying around."

They each took a glass from the nearest waiter and made their way to table 7. Since they were the first ones there, they selected the seats that gave them the best view of the head table.

"So we can see Rose and Emmett" Alice said.

Bella snorted. "So you can see Jasper Hale."

"And so you can look at Mr. Handsome" said Alice.

"Edward" Bella replied. "Edward Cullen."

"Excuse me, are these seats taken?" A male voice caused Bella to look over her shoulder.

"No, go ahead" she said.

"Thanks" said the first, a slender man with light brown hair who she guessed was about their age. He held out his hand to Bella. "I'm Riley Biers. I work with Rosalie." He shook hands with Alice, and then pulled out the chair next to Bella.

"I'm James Hunter" said the other, a muscular man with blond hair that was a bit too long for Bella's taste. "I work with Emmett. We're both athletic trainers." He took the seat next to Alice.

The girls looked at each other, not at all sure how they'd ended up being surrounded. Finally, Alice shrugged and they both sat down.

"Are you girls from Chicago too?" Riley asked.

"No, we're from Seattle" Bella answered. "We went to college with Rosalie."

"I bet you have some amazing stories you could tell us" said James, with just a little too much enthusiasm in his voice. "Wild college parties, huh?"

Alice and Bella both ignored him. He seemed to get the hint, and the conversation throughout dinner was pleasant. By the time they were halfway through, Alice had polished off her third glass of champagne, and vigorously tapped her fork on the crystal. The newlyweds followed tradition and kissed at the sound.

"Do it again" yelled Emmett. Alice obliged, and he planted a big, passionate kiss on his bride, to the delight of the guests.

Edward stood from his place next to Rosalie. "If I can have everyone's attention" he said. "I'm Edward Cullen, and I'm the best man."

"You sure are" yelled someone from the other side of the room, and everyone laughed.

Edward blushed a bit and shook his head. "Today, the real best man is my best friend, Emmett McCarty. When I first met Emmett on the very first day of college, I never thought we'd get along. I was kind of a nerd, and he was a typical jock."

Emmett stood, showing off his physique with a few poses. "Ain't nothing typical about this boy, is there, Rosie?"

"Sit down" she replied, smacking him on the butt.

When the laughter stopped, Edward went on. "As I was saying, we didn't seem to have much in common, but once I learned to look past the smelly socks, constant eating, and crazy partying, we ended up becoming the very best of friends. I spent lots of time at football games, and he spent a lot of time listening to me talk."

"What's that mean?" said Alice.

"I have no idea" said Bella.

"Then" Edward continued "along came Rosalie Hale. She stole his heart faster than anything I've ever seen. She was beautiful, smart, and wouldn't take any crap from him. It was love at first sight." Rosalie beamed at him. "Did I mention she wouldn't take any crap from him? Oh, yeah, I did." Laughter. "Rosalie brought out the best in Emmett, too. All you had to see was the glow on her face today, and the tears in Emmett's eyes…sorry Em…when she walked down the aisle. This, my friends, is what love looks like."

He paused while every woman in the room wiped tears from their eyes. "And so, it's my pleasure to offer a toast today to two people who found what everyone of us is looking for." He lifted his glass. "To Rosalie and Emmett."

Everyone cheered as they lifted their glasses.

Bella sniffled. "That was beautiful."

"If you like all that romantic crap" said James. Bella and Alice both rolled their eyes.

Then it was time for the first dance.

Emmett swept Rose around the floor with more grace than one would expect from an extra-large former football player. Then the music changed and Edward and Angela joined them. When the music came to an end, Bella felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned quickly, and found herself looking at Riley.

"Would you like to dance?"

Before Bella could politely refuse, she heard the voice she'd been waiting for.

"I'm sorry, Bella has already promised this dance to me." He held out his hand, and without hesitation Bella took it. "This dance, and every other dance this evening."

Riley looked from Edward to Bella, and held up his hands, backing off gracefully.

Without letting go of her hand, Edward wrapped his other arm around her waist. Bella rested her hand on his shoulder, fighting the urge to play with the hair on the back of his neck. She ran her fingers across the satin on his lapel instead.

"I hope I didn't overstep, claiming all your dances that way." He inhaled her sweet perfume.

"No, it's fine." She blushed. "There's no one else I'd rather dance with than you."

"That's good" he said. "Really good." He pulled her closer and she rested her head on his chest. Unable to help himself, he dropped a soft kiss on the top of her head.

They stayed that way throughout the song, each content to move slowly around the dance floor, each thinking of questions to ask the other. When the music ended, Edward made no attempt to let her go.

"How do you know Rosalie?"

Bella tipped her head up to look into his eyes and nearly forgot to answer the question. "From college. She and Alice and I…"

"What are you doing, dancing with my boyfriend?" The voice was high-pitched and clearly not happy.

Bella pulled back from him, embarrassed and disappointed all at once. She thought they had such a connection, but there was no way she was moving in on someone else's boyfriend. Her eyes widened in astonishment when Edward just laughed. She stared at him, and he circled his finger, indicating that she should turn around. Expecting to see an angry girlfriend, Bella's knees nearly buckled in relief when she spotted a beautiful little girl, dressed in a frilly dress, white lace ankle socks and patent leather Mary Janes, with her hands on her hips.

"Edward is my boyfriend and I want to dance with him" the girl pouted.

Edward scooped her up and she threw her arms around his neck. "Bella, may I introduce you to Miss Claire McCarty, Emmett's cousin?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss McCarty. Your dress is very beautiful."

The little girl smiled at Bella. "Your dress is pretty too."

"I think you're both very beautiful" said Edward. "Bella, I did promise Claire a dance. Would you mind if we did that now?"

"Not at all" she said.

Edward kissed Claire's forehead. "Do you want to dance like a little girl, or like a big girl?"

"A big girl of course, Edward. I'm four years old now." She held up four fingers.

"Of course" said Edward. He lowered her to the ground and gently lifted her just enough for her to rest her shoes on top of his. He looked at Bella. "You'll wait?"

"I'll wait" she said, nearly melting at the sight of Edward dancing with the child.

Claire managed to talk Edward into two dances before her mother came to claim her.

"I'm sorry" said Edward, once he had Bella back in his arms. "She's hard to resist."

"Don't be sorry. She's precious, and she seems very attached to you."

"Her mom, Emily, is doing the single mother thing right now. Her husband Sam is Emmett's cousin. He's in Afghanistan, so Em and Rose and I try to help out by taking care of Claire sometimes. You know, take her places so Emily can get a break." He grinned. "Right now I'm her favorite since I bought her a stuffed koala bear at the zoo last week."

Bella laughed. "If you bought me a koala bear, you'd be my favorite too."

"Good to know." He tucked her close to his chest and whirled her around the floor.

Soon it was time for Emmett and Rose to leave the reception. After they all threw confetti at the departing couple, Jasper suggested that the four of them hang out at the bar downstairs for a little bit. Bella was pleased to see that Jasper and Alice had spent the whole evening dancing too. They made their way downstairs. Still caught up in the happiness of the event, they ordered glasses of champagne and the conversation flowed easily.

"I'm afraid I have to go soon" Edward said. "I have to work tomorrow morning. My um, job requires me to get up pretty early."

Bella remembered Rose's comment about Edward being a local celebrity. "What do you do?"

Jasper laughed. "Edward? He's…." He stopped when Edward shook his head. "He works crazy hours" Jasper said, instead of whatever he'd started to say.

Edward squeezed Bella's hand. "I don't know where you live. Do you have a car here?"

"Actually" Alice said "Bella and I are staying at the Marriott down the street. Our flight was so late, we didn't have time to check in before going to the wedding."

His face showed his disappointment. "You're not from Chicago?"

"No" Bella answered. "We're from Seattle."

Edward and Jasper frowned at each other, equally disappointed. "Seattle? How long will you be here?"

"We fly out Monday morning. We gave ourselves one day for sightseeing, since we've never been to Chicago before." Bella suddenly wished they'd booked open-ended tickets. And that they didn't have jobs waiting for them Tuesday morning.

"Well" said Edward. "That settles it. Jasper and I will be your tour guides tomorrow, if you'll have us."

Bella and Alice didn't even have to consult each other. "Yes, please" they exclaimed in unison, laughing.

Edward and Jasper accompanied them to the bellhop, retrieved their luggage, and helped them flag down a cab. As the cab driver loaded their bags, Edward pulled Bella aside. "This has been an amazing evening, Bella. I'm so glad we met, and I can't wait to show you around tomorrow."

"Me too" she replied.

"Can I try something?"

She nodded.

"Hold very still."

Edward lowered his head to hers. When their lips were only inches apart, Bella closed her eyes. She'd never wanted a kiss more in her life. His lips were warm as they moved gently against hers. He was delighted to find that her lips were as soft as he'd imagined. Neither one made any attempt to deepen the kiss. They were simply content to enjoy the moment. Finally, Edward lifted his head and pulled her in for a hug.

"Sweet dreams, Bella."

"I'm sure they will be."

"So will mine, because they'll be of you." He kissed her softly. "Goodnight, sweetheart. I can't wait till tomorrow."


	4. Chapter 4

**The Best Man**

**Chapter 4**

**A/N – Hope everyone enjoyed the wedding, even the part where Edward's "girlfriend" showed up. Thanks for the reviews. Even though I don't always have time to respond, I always appreciate them. And one person actually guessed what Edward's job is! Bravo! **

**Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

* * *

Bella and Alice were both uncharacteristically quiet on the cab ride to the hotel. It was late at night and the streets were quiet, so it didn't take long to go three blocks. By the time they checked in, found their room, and changed out of their dresses, they were too tired to do anything but sleep.

"Bella?" said Alice, her voice heavy with sleep. "Did Jasper and Edward really say they'd take us sightseeing tomorrow?"

"They did" said Bella. She pushed herself up in bed and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"Too bad we're only here for one day" Alice yawned. "I swear, Bella. Who knew Jasper Hale would grow up to be so good looking?"

"Who knew Jasper would grow up to have such a good looking friend" Bella said seriously. They looked at each other and burst into laughter. "Goodnight, Alice."

Within a few minutes, Bella heard Alice's soft breathing and knew her friend had fallen into a deep sleep. Unfortunately, she couldn't seem to do the same. Every time she closed her eyes, another memory from Rosalie's wedding would pop into her head. Dancing with Edward, her face tucked in against his chest, his fingers laced tightly through hers. The smile on his face when he watched Emmett and Rosalie cut the cake and his laugh when Rosalie nailed Emmett in the face with a fist full of icing. Edward dancing with little Claire McCarty, her tiny shoes perched on his. Eventually she fell into a restless sleep and dreamt of Edward dancing with another little girl, one with curly bronze colored hair and chocolate brown eyes.

Bella woke to Alice bouncing on the end of her bed. She kept her eyes scrunched tightly closed. "Go away, Alice" she mumbled. "I just fell asleep."

"But it's morning" Alice said "and it's our one day to see Chicago. With Jasper and Edward. You don't want to miss anything, do you?"

Bella rolled over and rubbed her eyes. "I thought they weren't picking us up till noon?"

"They aren't" Alice admitted "but we need time to get ready." She jumped off the bed, shaking Bella some more. "I'll turn on the TV. That'll help you wake up, sleepy head."

Alice scooped up the remote and pointed it at the TV, then made a beeline for the bathroom. The theme music for whatever show Alice found was catchy, but Bella wasn't interested. She grabbed her pillow and wrapped it around her head, fully intending to stay that way until she absolutely had to get up. That is, until the music stopped and the voice on the television made its way through the pillow and into her sleep deprived ears.

"Welcome to Good Morning Chicago, Weekend Edition. I'm your host, Edward Cullen. Today is Sunday, and here's what's happening this morning… "

Bella sat up, ripping the pillow from her head. Her eyes widened as she looked at the screen. Edward sat behind a desk, hands folded, and stared into the camera with a sincere and intelligent expression. He wore a dark gray suit with a light blue shirt and a gray and blue striped tie, and she realized he looked almost as good as he did in a tux.

Her eyes narrowed when Edward introduced the meteorologist, a beautiful shapely blonde who looked like she was about 20 years old. The girl gave Edward a smile that was a shade this side of highly inappropriate. "Stupid blond weather girl" Bella growled.

After the weather report, she listened intently to Edward's description of the legal battle brewing over a new building in downtown Chicago. As he finished, Alice popped out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel.

"Oh my gosh" she exclaimed. "Is that Edward?" Alice smirked when she saw the expression on Bella's face. "Someone's smitten."

Bella didn't even try to deny it. She couldn't take her eyes off him, and she was sure that if she had a few more days in Chicago, she could track down and seriously hurt the weather girl. Instead, she watched the rest of the show, refusing to budge from the bed until it was over. Alice whined that she only had an hour to get Bella ready for her day with Edward, but somehow she made it work.

"There. You look beautiful."

"Thanks Alice." Bella looked at her friend. "Am I crazy? I've only know him for less than a day, and I just feel, I don't even know how to describe it. Like I've known him forever. Like I want to know him for the rest of forever." She shook her head. This was so not like her. Bella wasn't one to moon over a guy, even one as beautiful, or as sweet, as Edward.

"I don't think you're crazy at all" said Alice. "Look at me, I've known Jasper since college and I don't know why I didn't realize until now that we were meant to be together."

"Seriously?" Bella examined Alice's face and realized she wasn't kidding. Just then the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Swan? This is the front desk." It was a female voice, one that was way too excited. "Edward Cullen is here. In our lobby. And he asked me to call and tell you that he's here."

"Thank you. Please tell him I'll be right there. Is there a Mr. Whitlock with him?"

The girl lowered her voice to a whisper. "Tall, blonde, and almost as good looking as Edward? Yeah, he's here too. I have to start working Sundays all the time."

Bella managed to hang up the phone before she burst into laughter.

"What was that about?" Alice stood with her hands on her hips.

"I think we better get downstairs before our hosts for the afternoon cause a riot among the staff."

Edward patiently signed hotel postcards for two middle-aged women who couldn't stop staring at him. When the elevator door opened, his eyes met the ones he'd been waiting to see since last night. If he hadn't had to do the weekend show this morning, he would have asked her to go out with him last night. He wanted to talk to her, learn all about her. He intended spending the rest of the day today doing just that.

"Here you are, ladies. I hope you enjoy your brunch." He handed them the signed postcards and watched Bella and Alice exit the elevator.

Edward held out his hand to Bella and pulled her in for a quick hug. He thought she was gorgeous at the wedding, but she was just as beautiful to him today in her jeans and soft blue sweater.

Bella stepped back for a minute, placing her hand on his chest. "So you're a celebrity? I turn on my tv this morning and there you are."

He actually blushed. "Only in Chicago, and I'm not sure I even qualify as a celebrity here."

Just then two teenage girls ran up to him and slid to a stop. The first one tore off her jean jacket and sidled up to Edward. "Can you sign my tee-shirt?"

"I rest my case" Bella said, as Alice and Jasper laughed in the background.

When they got out of the cab at their first stop, Edward held a hand out for Bella. His distinctive hair was covered by a Cubs baseball cap and he wore sunglasses. Jasper and Alice followed, their hands linked together.

"First stop, the Willis Tower" Edward said as they walked up to the building. "It's 103 stories tall, the tallest building in the western hemisphere."

Bella tipped her head up to look, shielding her eyes from the sun. "That's kind of amazing."

"It is. C'mon, we're going up to the observation deck. It'll give you a great view of the city."

From the observation deck, Edward and Jasper pointed out the sights they planned to visit. The girls quickly fell in love with the city and were anxious to see everything up close.

Over the course of the afternoon, they visited the aquarium and two parks, but Bella thought the best part was just walking around the city. Jasper and Edward were wonderful tour guides, telling them stories about their lives in Chicago, and Alice and Bella told them about Seattle. The guys insisted that they had to try Chicago's famous deep-dish pizza, and they decided it was definitely more fun than going out to a fancy restaurant.

"Save some room" said Edward. "I want to buy you cotton candy at Navy Pier."

"Navy Pier?"

"You'll love it" said Jasper. "It's a real pier, but it's got a little bit of everything. It's like an amusement park with museums, a movie theater and…"

"And other stuff" Edward said, cutting him off. "It's on Lake Michigan, and it's something every visitor to Chicago needs to experience."

"Sounds fun" said Bella. "What are we waiting for?"

They spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Navy Pier, and Bella was completely enchanted. Edward bought them all cotton candy, as promised, and they laughed as they were soon covered with the sticky sugar.

"I'd kiss you" said Bella "but I'm afraid we'd get stuck together."

"I can think of a lot worse things than being stuck to you" Edward said, and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Mmmmmm." He stepped back and licked the sugar from his mouth. The look on his face made Bella shiver in a good way.

"It's getting late, but there's one more thing we need to do" said Jasper, tugging Alice's hand and looking at Edward with a grin.

"Absolutely" said Edward. "Bella, would you do me the honor of riding on the Ferris Wheel with me?"

Bella looked up at the huge Ferris Wheel that dominated the pier. "Wow. I don't know. That's awfully high up."

"I won't let you fall" Edward whispered in her ear. "Ever."

Soon the two pairs were sitting in their seats on the Ferris Wheel. Bella could see Alice and Jasper in the seat ahead of them. They started to move and she snuggled a little closer to Edward. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"This has been a wonderful day, Edward."

"I wish it didn't have to end" he replied. "I wish you didn't have to leave tomorrow."

"Neither do I" she said. "But I have to get back to work Tuesday."

"Hey, you know what I do for a living, but you haven't told me what you do."

"I own a little book store. It's kind of quaint, and we can't really keep up with the big chains, but we don't try to either. I like that I can carry just the books that interest me, although we order anything our customers want. I like to think our shop makes people happy."

"Our?" he asked, suddenly a little jealous. "Do you have a partner?"

"Actually, it's Alice. She trained as a pastry chef, and she makes amazing things that we sell."

"It sounds wonderful" he said.

"I do love my little shop" Bella admitted.

Suddenly the Ferris Wheel stopped, and their seat started swinging gently back and forth.

"Why are we stopping?" Bella shrieked. "We're all the way at the top." She snuggled even closer to Edward's side.

He dropped a kiss on her forehead. "They're just loading some other passengers. But I'm glad we've stopped up here for a few minutes. Look at the view over the Lake, Bella. She turned her head to look. The sun was setting, and its glow reflected on the water.

"It reminds me a little of home. I wish I could show you Seattle."

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." Edward turned so they were facing each other. "Bella, this has been the most wonderful two days, meeting you and getting to know you. I know it's soon, but I want more time with you. I want to find out everything about you, what you like. Your dreams."

His blush melted her heart. "I'd like to know all those things about you too, Edward. But your life is here, and mine's all the way across the country."

He frowned. "I know, Bella. Believe me, I thought of nothing else last night. Well, almost nothing else." He flashed a sexy grin her way. "All I'm saying is, despite the distance, I want us to give this a try. I want to be able to call you, talk to you. What do you think? Can we?"

Bella's heart was racing. "I'd love that, Edward. Really."

"And let's promise to meet each other again, soon. I can come to Seattle if it's ok with you."

"I'd like that very much" she said.

Edward's grin mirrored Bella's. "Then there's only one thing left to do."

"What's that?"

"We need to seal this deal with a kiss."

He pulled her close to him and pressed his lips to hers. She was soft, and warm, and returned his kiss eagerly. His arms wrapped around her as their mouths moved together. Never, he thought, never had he ever been happier.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Best Man**

**Chapter 5**

**A/N: Thanks for the great feedback. I really appreciate it. Glad everyone likes sweet Edward – we all need a bit of a mushy story from time to time. Not to say there won't be any bumps…after all, this is Edward and Bella. **

**Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

* * *

When Bella and Alice left Seattle to go to Rosalie's wedding, they were happy that they were going to see their friend, but glad they would only be gone two days. The bookstore, appropriately named Bella's Books, was usually closed on Sundays. By flying out Saturday, and flying back Monday, they only had to close the shop for two days. Still, Bella missed her little shop anytime she was away from it. Her regular customers knew that she only closed for one week in May, right before school ended. She was never closed in the summer, because she felt very strongly that her favorite customers, children, should have access to the bookstore whenever they weren't in school.

Now it was Monday morning, time to fly back to Seattle, and Bella found herself wishing she didn't have to leave.

She and Edward said their goodbyes last night, after the almost magical Ferris Wheel ride. Edward and Jasper had escorted the girls back to their hotel, saw them safely to the door of their room, and kissed their respective dates till the four of them were all sufficiently dazed. As the kisses deepened, so did the promises. Texts, phone calls, and eventually a visit.

"Stop that" said Alice.

"Stop what?"

"Stop rubbing your fingers over your lips like you're remembering how Edward kissed the shit out of you last night."

"Nice, Alice. Classy way to put it." Bella smirked. "Well, for your information, Edward did absolutely kiss the shit out of me. If you weren't so busy being kissed the same way by Jasper, you would have noticed."

Alice sighed. "Exactly. Remind me again, why are we leaving?"

"Because we own a store we both love, one that we promised to have open tomorrow morning, bright and early. I have to log in that new shipment of books, and you have to prepare delicious goodies. So we both have to be there bright and early."

They checked their bags and made their way to the gate for their flight, stopping to grab coffee along the way. There was a TV on the wall, and Bella heard his voice before she saw him on the screen.

"Good Morning, Chicago. I'm Edward Cullen."

"And I'm Jane Volturi."

Bella's eyes narrowed at the petite blond sitting next to Edward, obviously his co-host. First the weather girl, and now this one. Did this station know how to hire anything besides beautiful blondes?

"How was your weekend, Edward? I hear it was a busy one for you." Jane flashed a big smile in his direction. "I think we even have pictures."

Bella froze. What exactly did they have pictures of? The image that flashed across the screen was a picture of Edward in his pink-accented tux from Tanya's wedding.

"Since you're not standing next to the bride, I assume you weren't the groom."

"Uh, no, I wasn't."

"Good" said Jane "or hearts would be breaking all over Chicago right now."

Edward ran his hand through his hair. Despite the short period of time she'd known him, Bella knew that was something he did when he was nervous or stressed. It seemed as though Jane had planned on using the picture without his knowledge. A true professional, Edward recovered without missing a beat.

"Actually, the beautiful bride is my cousin, Tanya Denali. Now Tanya Denali Call. I had the honor of being their best man."

"Of course you did" Jane replied with a grin. "So I guess we can say you had a good weekend."

He looked straight into the camera. "Jane, you have no idea. I had one of the best weekends ever."

"Ok, swooning now, and I'm not even the one he's talking about." Alice fanned herself with the magazine she'd picked up for the plane ride.

Jane and Edward cut over to the national news, and Bella, annoyed that she couldn't see him anymore, pouted.

"Oh Bella, you really do have it bad, don't you." Alice grabbed a newspaper out of her tote bag. "Here, I was going to save this till we got on the plane. Check the entertainment section."

Bella flipped to the third section. The top half of the page was a color picture of Edward with the headline "Chicago's hottest anchorman."

"Try not to drool all over it" said Alice.

A few hours later, they landed in Seattle, grabbed Bella's car from long term parking, and headed back to their apartment. Bella read the article on Edward at least twenty times on the long, boring flight. It was a clear case of a local boy hitting it big. Edward had been born and raised in Chicago, and after receiving a full scholarship to Northwestern, where he majored in broadcast communication, he was hired at the local station. It didn't take long for his talent, his intelligence, his speaking voice, and his looks to catapult him to the anchor seat on the biggest morning program in the city. While Bella drove, Alice stole the article out of her purse and read it herself.

"It says here that while he attends many charity events throughout the city, he rarely has a date. Instead he usually escorts his mother, Esme Cullen, a local architect." Alice read a few more lines. "And listen to this, Bella. Even when he does bring a date, he's never been seen with the same girl twice."

"Yes, Alice, I read that part too. And looked at the pictures." Bella frowned but never took her eyes off the road. "The women he's with in the pictures are all gorgeous. I can understand why they thought maybe he was marrying Tanya. She fits the pattern."

"Except she's a relative and was marrying someone completely different."

"I'm just saying. All those girls are beautiful and sophisticated."

"And you aren't?" Alice frowned at her friend. "Don't even go there, Bella."

"Alice, you know I hate it when women act all insecure, especially when they just do it to get compliments. There's nothing wrong with my self-confidence. I know I'm pretty, but no one has ever called me sophisticated. Besides, brainpower is more important to me than looks."

"Then it's a good thing Edward has both, isn't it?" They both laughed.

"That's for damn sure" Bella said.

They were nearly back to the apartment when Alice's phone buzzed with a text. "It's from Jasper" she said, bouncing up and down in her seat. "He says he misses me already. How sweet is that?"

"It's really great, Alice" Bella said, just a bit jealous. "He's a great guy." Bella put on her turn signal. "Ali, what do you think is going to happen? With Edward and Jasper, I mean?"

"Well, Jasper and I are going to date for a year, then we'll get engaged, and the wedding will be that September." Alice hummed in contentment. "You and Edward…"

"Don't, Alice." Bella pulled the car into a parking spot and turned off the engine. She popped the trunk so they could get their bags. "I don't want to think that far ahead. I'm not like you. I don't want to count on this like it's a sure thing. I just…I just want to get to know him better. To see where this takes us." They climbed out of the car and grabbed their things. "I just want to know if he feels this…thing…whatever it is….that I feel when I'm around him."

"I think that thing is called love" said Alice. "And judging from the size of the vase of long stemmed red roses on our front step, I'd say he's definitely feeling something."

Bella ran up the steps and grabbed the card perched in the roses. "_I miss you already. Thanks for a wonderful weekend. The Navy Pier Ferris Wheel is my new favorite place. Yours, Edward."_

She handed her phone to Alice. "Take a picture?" She picked up the roses and couldn't help but close her eyes and inhale their beautiful scent. Just as she did that, Alice snapped the picture and handed the phone back to her. Bella typed a quick text under the picture. "_It's my new favorite place too. Thanks for the roses, they're beautiful. Miss you too. Yours, Bella."_

* * *

Back in Chicago, Edward finished his show and pulled the bud out of his ear. "Jane, I don't really mind that you showed the picture from Tanya's wedding, but didn't we agree never to surprise each other with personal stuff?"

"Aww, Eddie, it was such a cute picture." Jane wrinkled her nose. "Except for all the pink. That was a little over the top." She smiled a devilish smile. "I expect you'll get a lot of teasing about that in our fan mail today."

"Jane, haven't you learned?" Jasper walked toward them wearing a headset draped around his neck. "They like Edward no matter what he's wearing. Maybe a little pink would help your image too."

She glared. "Just because you produce this show doesn't mean you can say things like that to me."

"Why not?" Jasper answered. "I already told Edward he looks pretty in pink." He leaned over the desk and pinched Edward's cheek. "Right, Eddie?" He deliberately used the name Jane delighted in calling Edward. Jane looked at them both, scowled, and headed for her dressing room.

Edward sighed. "Now she's going to be ticked off again tomorrow. Who knows what she'll do then?"

"Nah, Jane loves you. It's me she can't stand."

"Well I can't argue with that." Edward looked around to make sure no one was too close. Technicians scurried this way and that, putting the set in order for the next day. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Have you heard anything from Alice yet?"

"Ed, they're still on the plane. We won't hear anything from them for another couple of hours. Chill out."

"It's just…."

"I know" said Jasper. "We're pretty pathetic. They've only been gone a couple of hours."

"So what are we going to do about it? I miss her, Jas. And I've only known her two days."

"I hear you" said his friend. "Although Alice assures me we'll see them again soon."

"I hope she's right" Edward responded. He stood up from where he'd been sitting on the anchor desk, not noticing how every woman on the set took a deep breath when he straightened his tie.

"Well" said Jasper. "As your producer, I was thinking that maybe we need to cover a story comparing tall buildings and the cities they represent."

"Like the Willis Building?" Edward asked, not sure where his friend was going with this.

"Like the Space Needle. In Seattle." Jasper's grinned widened. "What do you think?"

"I think you're a damn genius" said Edward. "And I can't believe I didn't think of it first."

"Just like always" said Jasper. "I'll be the brains, and you'll be the beauty." He knew enough to dance out of Edward's reach before he even finished the sentence.

* * *

Bella and Alice spent the rest of the afternoon and evening baking. Actually, Alice baked, and Bella took the pans out of the oven and put them on a cooling rack. Baking wasn't exactly her thing. But Bella loved having Alice's goodies for sale in the shop. Nothing made her happier than having the old sofas and comfy chairs scattered around the shop full of people reading books and munching on treats. They already had a really good coffee maker, but maybe, she thought, she'd add a cappuccino machine too. The kids knew that the mini-refrigerator was always full of chocolate milk cartons.

Once they had everything cooked, cooled, and bundled up in plastic containers, she said goodnight to Alice and headed for her room. Some people might think they'd get tired of each other, living together in the two bedroom apartment and working together most days, but they were fine with it. Every once in a while Alice got a little frantic, a little over the top, but those were the days Bella knew to hand her decaf coffee and let her settle down. Now with Jasper in the picture, her friend would probably be very distracted.

She quickly unpacked her bag, put the dirty clothes in the hamper, and put her beautiful dress and high heels back in the closet. "Like Cinderella coming home from the ball and going back to work, instead of hanging out in Chicago with Prince Charming" she muttered.

Finally, she climbed into bed and set her phone on the night table. She'd no sooner pulled the covers up when it buzzed with a text.

"_Glad you liked the flowers. They're beautiful just like you. Hope you know that picture's my screen saver now."_

She replied quickly. "_Not fair. The only pictures I have of you are from the paper."_

When it buzzed again, she was thrilled to see he sent a picture. He must have just taken it. Unlike his publicity pictures, he was wearing jeans and a tee shirt, and his chin was covered in a line of stubble.

"_My first selfie" _he wrote. "_Only for you."_

_"It's great. Now I have a screen saver too."_

_"Sweet dreams, Bella."_

_"You too, Edward."_

A couple of minutes went by, and she assumed he was done with their conversation. She was startled when it buzzed again.

_"Can I call you tomorrow? I miss your voice."_

_"I'd really like that. Tomorrow."_

_"Talk to you then, beautiful."_

Edward climbed into bed, pleased with how his texting with Bella had gone. He had to be at the studio by five AM, and he'd missed out on a lot of sleep over the weekend. Not that he regretted it, of course.

He decided to check his email one more time before going to sleep. Most of the emails were junk. One was from Jane, hoping he wasn't angry with her for putting the wedding picture on the air or for teasing him about it. It was fine. They'd never be best friends, but they got along well and made good co-anchors. Once he'd made it clear to her that he wasn't interested in any other kind of relationship. He deleted all the junk email until he got to the one from Jason Jenks, his agent. Sometimes it made him laugh to think that he'd gotten to a point where he actually needed an agent. Who would have dreamt he'd have made it this big? But Jenks was brilliant when it came to all the business stuff.

Edward opened the email and read it.

"Hey, Edward. Just a reminder that we need to meet next week to talk about your contract. Up for renewal at the end of the month. Thinking we're gonna do well based on your ratings this year. Also, wanted to talk to you about a few other possibilities that have been floating around. I'll make a reservation for us at that Italian place you like, noon next Thursday. Thanks, J."

Other possibilities? Edward thought about it for a few minutes. Unless one of those other possibilities was in Seattle, he liked it just fine right where he was. Oh well, he'd listen to what Jenks had to say, but there was little doubt in his mind that he'd renew his contract in Chicago.

But…Seattle. He'd have to do a little research about the stations out there. With that thought, he set his alarm and went to sleep. Morning would be here way too soon, and he had a beautiful girl to dream about.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Best Man**

**Chapter 6**

**A/N – Glad to welcome so many new readers! Thanks for coming along for the ride. Your comments are always appreciated!**

**As always, everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

* * *

"Can I have your autograph?"

Edward looked up from the menu to see a pretty blond standing next to a prettier redhead. The blond held out a piece of paper while her friend brandished a cell phone. "Sure." He took the paper from her and looked around. Jenks, a smirk on his face, held out a pen. Edward quickly scrawled a short message and signed his name.

The girl took the paper from him and without asking, squeezed quickly into his side while her friend snapped a picture. "Thanks Edward!"

He sat back down and resumed his scan of the menu. As promised, Jenks had gotten a reservation at Edward's favorite Italian restaurant.

Jenks stared at him. "Does that ever get old?"

"What?"

"Having beautiful girls throwing themselves at you?" Jenks laughed.

"Believe it or not, it does, when none of the girls are the one you want to see."

"What's this? Don't tell me you've actually fallen for someone."

Edward set the menu down and shushed Jenks when he saw the server approaching. They quickly ordered, and Jenks waited till the server was out of earshot.

"Tell me, Ed. What's up?"

"I met a girl – woman – last weekend at my friend Emmett's wedding."

"Wait. Your friend Emmett married your cousin Tanya?"

"No, I was in two weddings. First Tanya's, then Emmett's. Anyway, she's Emmett's wife's friend from college." He took a sip of his water. "Frankly, J, she's all I can think about these days."

"Is she local?"

"No, that's the problem. She lives in Seattle."

"I don't know, Ed. These long distance things never work."

Edward practically glared at him. He couldn't imagine not talking to Bella, or worse yet, never seeing her. "I'm going to figure out some way to make it work." He motioned to the file Jenks laid on the table. "Now, are we going to talk about what's in your file over there? Because I have a few questions."

"Ask away" said Jenks, pulling a piece of crusty bread from the basket and dipping it in olive oil. He offered a piece to Edward, who shook his head. "That's right, you need to watch your figure. The camera adds ten pounds, they say."

Edward laughed. "Yeah, and you can kiss my skinny ass." He fidgeted with his knife and fork. "Actually, J, I want you to check and see what the market's like in Seattle."

"Are you kidding me? We're looking to go upmarket, not something smaller. I mean, Seattle's a beautiful city but the news shows there aren't a step up from Chicago." He pointed a finger at Edward. "We have a plan, remember?"

"I know" said Edward. "I haven't forgotten."

"Ask her to move here, if she's so important to you."

"Trust me, I want to. But it's too early for that." In his mind, he wondered if it really was too early. It certainly didn't feel like it. He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the feel of her lips on his and the way her fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck. "And besides, she owns a business out there. I can't ask her to move."

"I can check into Seattle if you want me to, but I don't think it's the right market for you."

"Jenks…"

"Okay, I hear you. Let's talk about your contract renewal."

The two men chatted amiably while they ate their pasta. They discussed a few changes to his contract, other possible markets, other opportunities, as well as the chance of a guest host bit at one of the bigger stations.

Jenks wiped his mouth with the napkin. "I gotta tell you, there's some serious buzz going around about you. Keep an open mind about it, okay?"

Edward nodded. "I will."

"You've worked awfully hard to get where you are, and you aren't done yet." Jenks smiled and held out his hand. "Now hand over the check so I can take it out of the huge management fee you're paying me."

* * *

The day had been a busy one at Bella's Books. A steady stream of customers had come in throughout the morning.

"Excuse me" said a customer. "Do you have any more of those butterscotch scones?"

"Let me check" said Bella. She called out to her partner "Alice?"

Alice stuck her head around the corner with her phone up to her ear. Bella swore, if Alice didn't quit spending half of every day on the phone making little kissy noises with Jasper, she would start baking the damn goodies herself. Then she shuddered. That probably wouldn't be a good thing. The next thing you knew, the local news station would be a doing a story on food poisoning at the local bookstore.

Alice handed Bella a tray of butterscotch scones. "Still warm, too."

"How did you know?" Amazed, Bella took the tray and watched as her friend and business partner danced back out of the room.

Truth be told, Bella was just a wee bit jealous right now. It seemed as though Jasper and Alice were off to the races with their relationship. She and Edward managed to text each other a few times a day, and talk in the evening when she closed the shop, but she wasn't sure they were moving forward. She appreciated that they were getting to know each other, but she found herself desperately wanting to see him again. She wondered why they were both being so careful about their feelings. Let's face it, she'd started to fall for him the moment she saw him, and the Ferris Wheel kisses told her this was no simple flirtation. Maybe she'd have to be the one to….

"Oh, Bella" sobbed Alice, still clutching her phone.

"What is it? What happened? Is it Jasper?" Bella balled her hands into fists. "If he hurt you, I'll…"

"No" said Alice. "Jasper's fine. It's Leah, Mrs. Cope's granddaughter. She's in the hospital."

Mrs. Cope was one of Bella's favorite customers. She immediately pictured the tiny freckled-faced girl that often accompanied her nana to story time in the shop.

"What happened?"

"They don't know yet, but she's really sick. They're running tests. Mrs. Cope called to cancel out of story time this week, and she started crying when she was telling me about it." Alice sniffed. "I feel so awful. I wish there was something we could do."

Bella checked her watch. "Let's find out when visiting hours are. We could take a couple of Leah's favorite books, and take some blueberry muffins for Mrs. Cope."

"I love it" said Alice. "I'll make up a basket."

Later that night Bella was just changing into her pajamas when the phone rang. She didn't even have to look to know who it would be. "Edward?"

"Hey, beautiful" Edward replied. "I called you earlier but you didn't answer. Everything okay?"

"It is now" she answered, and he could hear the smile in her voice. "Actually, I just got home. Alice and I went to visit a friend in the hospital. A little girl, one of our story time regulars."

"Is she okay?" Edward grew concerned when he heard Bella start to sniffle.

"I don't know. They're running some tests, and she has her grandmother there to keep her company. Her parents are beside themselves talking to all the doctors. She was so scared, but I brought her favorite book and she begged me to read it to her, so I did, while Alice took Mrs. Cope – that's the grandmother – out for a break and a cup of tea."

Something in Edward's chest squeezed tight at the image of Bella reading to the little girl. Suddenly his mind was filled with the image of Bella reading to a small herd of bronze haired children of all sizes and ages. "Wow, that was really great of you. I bet she loved it."

"She did. But there were some other kids in the room with her, and they didn't have anyone there to visit them, and I felt so bad for them. So Alice and I read to a few of them, until visiting hours were over." She yawned. "Then we still had to get everything ready for the store tomorrow."

"That's wonderful. I bet they loved it. But I won't keep you on the phone if you're tired."

"No!" She nearly shouted into the phone. She'd been waiting for this all day. "No, I really want to talk to you."

"I want to talk to you too, sweetheart."

She smiled at the term of endearment. "Edward, I'm too tired to worry about whether or not I should say this, but I miss you. I miss you more than I think I should after only knowing each other a week."

"I miss you too, but that's sort of the reason why I called."

Bella's heart clutched. Was he going to tell her he'd decided against this long distance thing?

"I miss you so much, that when my producer – that's Jasper, you know – came up with an absolutely brilliant idea, I almost had to kiss him. And trust me, that's something I'd much rather leave to Alice."

"What? Tell me!"

"Remember how cool our trip to the top of the Willis Building was?"

"Yeah, it really was. Especially all the historic stuff you told me. I loved it."

"Well, Jasper has arranged to have me report on a series of tall buildings. Ones that define their cities. Of course, I'll have to travel to do that."

"Oh" said Bella. "Will you be gone long? Will we still be able to talk while you're travelling?"

"Absolutely" said Edward. "Would you like to know what the first building is we'll be reporting from?"

"Sure."

"What if I told you it's the Space Needle?"

She couldn't help it. She actually screamed into the phone, then realized what she'd done. "Oh my God, Edward, I'm so sorry."

"It's OK" he said, gingerly. "I have another eardrum on the other side."

They both laughed, and Bella's heart relaxed into a steady, happy rhythm.

"We'll be flying in Saturday, filming Saturday afternoon and maybe Sunday, and flying back Sunday night. So, Miss Swan, would you please have dinner with me next Saturday night at the top of the Space Needle?"

"Next Saturday? I'd love to." A thought occurred to her. "Where will you be staying?"

"The station has us booked into a hotel."

"Oh." Bella wished she was brave enough to invite him to stay at her apartment, but she wasn't sure how he'd feel about the invitation.

"Actually, Bella, I was hoping to stay with you" he said. "I mean, I don't want to assume anything. I know this is all new, and maybe we aren't there yet, but Jasper is planning to stay with Alice, and I know you guys share an apartment. It's just that I really want to spend as much time as possible with you." He was babbling, and he knew it.

"Edward, I would love it." She could feel herself blushing. "But our apartment would be kind of cozy for four people."

"Maybe you could stay with me? Big hotel? Nice room? Room service?"

She giggled. "Throw in the mini-bar and you've got a deal."

"You drive a hard bargain." He pretended to think about it. "Okay, you win."

They chatted for a few more minutes until Edward heard Bella yawn. "Sounds like it's time for you to get some sleep, sweetheart."

"I suppose."

"We'll talk before Saturday." Edward softened his voice. "I'm counting the hours already, Bella."

"Me too" she whispered in return. "Me too."

* * *

The next afternoon found Bella and Alice back at the hospital.

"I brought you a new book, Leah" said Bella, pushing the little girl's hair behind her ears. "Would you like me to read it to you?"

"Uh-huh" said Leah. "Miss Bella?"

"Yes, dear."

"Are you going to read to all the other children here?"

Bella looked up in surprise, and found that the other three children in the large shared room were watching her.

"Please?" said a little girl with an IV in her arm.

The nurse who was taking her blood pressure smiled at Bella. "We've heard all about how you read to everyone yesterday" she said.

"I didn't read to everyone" Bella said, blushing. "Just a few kids who were alone." She looked around. "But you could all listen, if it's okay with Leah."

On the way back to the store from the hospital, Bella was deep in thought.

"Penny for your thoughts, Bella" said Alice. "Thinking about Edward? I can't wait till Saturday, can you?"

"I can't wait either, but actually, that's not what I was thinking about."

"Is it Leah? They don't seem to know anything more than they did yesterday."

Bella leaned her head back against the seat. "Yeah, I'm thinking about her, but about the other kids too. The other kids in her room were so happy to have someone read to them. But there are so many rooms and so many other kids. I want to do something for them, too, but you and I can't read to all of them."

"We could take turns being at the shop and being at the hospital. You know, split it up?" Alice squeezed the steering wheel a little tighter.

Bella sat up straight. "What if we asked some of our regular customers to get involved? We could get people to sign up to read. If we got three or four people, we could cover most of the rooms, and still be at the store when we need to."

"I think it'll work" said Alice. "We could put a sign-up sheet by the register."

"We'll put the sign-up sheet next to your butterscotch scones. That way we know people will see them."

"Oh, Bella, this is going to be great." Alice clapped her hands.

"Put your hands back on the wheel before you wreck the car" Bella shouted. "I've got a hot date this Saturday night, and I'm not missing it for anything." She grinned at Alice. "I just have a great feeling about this. Saturday can't come soon enough."


	7. Chapter 7

**The Best Man**

**Chapter 7**

**A/N – Hey readers, sorry it took so long to post. I'm trying to do weekly postings, but I have a new job, and sometimes I'm just zonked when I get ****home. Trust me, anything I write on those nights wouldn't be something you'd want to read. Thanks for sticking with me, and thanks for the lovely reviews, follows, and favorites.**

**So, date night in Seattle is rapidly approaching – right after Edward films his TV spot.**

**Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

* * *

Bella found herself busier than she thought possible for the next few days. She and Alice were splitting their time at the store and reading at the hospital, so in addition to unpacking books, stocking the shelves, making work schedules, helping the girls at the register and running the usual reading groups at the store, Bella ran around like crazy keeping Alice's baked goods stocked at the little café counter. Then Alice would show up, and they'd switch places.

Bella found that she really looked forward to her time at the hospital. Leah and Mrs. Cope seemed so grateful to have her there, and the little reading sessions were getting so popular that the nurses had actually encouraged Bella and Alice to hold them in the patient lounge. Of course, many of the children couldn't be moved. Those children would still have reading done in their rooms. Between Bella and Alice, they tried to make sure every child on the floor got some reading time once a day, but it was tough. Bella was glad that the volunteer sheet they'd put up at the store was growing and growing. Starting Saturday, quite a few of Bella's regular customers would be taking turns reading to these children.

With all this activity, Bella thought the rest of the week would just fly by, but of course it didn't. She felt as though every second until Edward arrived stretched out into minutes, the minutes into hours, the hours into endless days. Now it was Friday afternoon, and it still felt as though Saturday would never get here.

"Miss Bella?" Leah raised her hand as if she were in school.

"Yes, Leah?"

"Do you know Paul in the room next door?"

"I think so" said Bella. "He's the one with the broken leg, right?"

"Uh huh" Leah answered. "And with the green and purple cast. It looks awesome."

"Yes, it does" she agreed.

Leah turned a little pink. "He likes you and he wants to know if you have a boyfriend."

Now it was Bella's turn to get a little pink. "Yes, I do have a boyfriend." She grinned, thinking that she wouldn't have been able to say that two weeks ago. Now she most definitely had a boyfriend.

"What's his name?"

"Leah, that's personal" shushed her nana.

"It's OK, Mrs. Cope" Bella laughed. "His name is Edward."

"Edward" repeated Leah. "That's a nice name. I don't have anyone named Edward in my class. Can he come read to us some time?"

"He lives really far away" said Bella "but maybe some time when he comes for a visit."

"When?"

"Actually, he's coming this weekend."

"Maybe he can visit?" Leah's face made Bella laugh.

"We'll see. Now, look what book I've brought for you today." She launched into one of her own favorites, _If you give a mouse a cookie._

Leah dozed off soon after Bella started the second book.

"Poor dear" said Mrs. Cope. "All the medication is making her so tired."

Bella stood and gathered her things. "You make sure you get some rest too, Mrs. Cope. This has got to be very stressful for you too."

"It is" the woman admitted, "but I would do anything for her. Thank you, Bella. This has been wonderful. I can't think of anything else that would make her happier." Her face crumpled, just for a moment "Except going home."

"She'll get there, I know she will." Bella leaned in impulsively and gave the woman a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you soon. Remember, some of the other volunteers are coming in this weekend. Other people from the bookshop."

"You have a nice time with your young man this weekend."

"I will" said Bella, giving a quick wave.

"I can't believe you'll be in Seattle in less than 24 hours" Bella whispered into the phone.

Edward took a deep breath, trying without success to calm the effect that her voice was having on him. "I know. I wish I didn't have to work, that I could spend the whole time with you." He'd been thinking all week about exactly how he hoped to spend the limited time they'd have together. He'd be filming Saturday afternoon, but Saturday night? That was all Bella time.

"That's okay. If it wasn't for work, you wouldn't be coming out here."

Edward needed to set her straight on that point right away. "Oh, Bella, that's just not true. It might not have been this weekend, but I couldn't go much longer without holding you again. Without seeing you, touching your face, wrapping my fingers in your hair and tasting your sweet lips." He chuckled. "Jasper almost had to throw a glass of water at me this morning to make me pay attention to the copy I was supposed to be reading on air. He told me I looked stupid in love when I was supposed to be talking about a fire that destroyed a whole city block."

Bella's voice caught in her throat at the word love. He'd let it slip so easily, as if he didn't even realize it. Didn't realize what it did to her.

"Bella, sweetheart? Are you there?"

"Sorry, Edward. You just….you just made me think about what it felt like to kiss you. To be kissed by you. And my brain just sort of stopped."

He laughed, a rich deep laugh that made her happy in ways she never imagined any one sound could do. "That's what thinking about kissing you does to me too." His voice deepened "and when I think about what else I want to do to you. With you."

"Tomorrow" she whispered.

"Tomorrow." He ended the call, threw a few more things in his suitcase, and settled in for a restless night's sleep.

The next morning, Bella was wide awake far earlier than she had to be. Meticulous as usual, she went over everything for the day. She'd go in early, open the store, and help Alice stock the café. Two of the most experienced girls on her staff would be running the shop, and four volunteers were set to read to the children at the hospital. The apartment was clean, the refrigerator stocked with a few goodies for Alice and Jasper, and Bella's overnight case was packed and waiting by the door. She felt deliciously wicked at the thought of spending the weekend at the luxurious hotel.

"Truth be told" she said, casting one more look at the little suitcase, "I'd be happy spending time with Edward in a pop up tent in the forest with mosquitos and grizzly bears. Well, maybe not the grizzly bears."

Alice emerged from her bedroom. "Grizzly bears?"

Bella choked on her orange juice. "Just ignore that."

"Okay." It didn't take long for Alice to go into hyper mode. "Only a few more hours till Jasper gets here. And Edward, too, of course."

Edward had explained that the studio had arranged a van to take them and their equipment to the Space Needle, where they'd be shooting this afternoon. So instead of meeting them at the airport, the girls were going to meet them downtown.

A few hours later, Bella and Alice stood in front of the Space Needle, watching as the crew cleared an area where they assumed the filming would take place. The local station was providing support for the filming, so a trailer, a couple of vans, and some lighting equipment were already on site and being arranged. About ten minutes later, a van with a the name of the local station painted on the side pulled up.

"Do you see them?" Jasper plastered his face to the window.

"Can you sound any more like a teenager with his first crush?" Edward shook his head, but he was just as anxious.

"I'll tell you what, pal" said Jasper. "This might not be my first crush, but there's a strong possibility it'll be my last one."

Edward whipped his head around. "Seriously, Jas?"

"Absolutely" Jasper replied solemnly.

The van came to a stop, and they both jumped out, followed by their camera man and a technician. While everyone else started shaking hands with the local TV folks, Jasper and Edward stood glued to the sidewalk, eyes darting around. Edward sighed a long, deep sigh when he spotted the one person he was looking for.

"Bella…." He thought briefly about grabbing her around the waist, lifting her off her feet and swinging her around, so full of joy at seeing her. But when she got close to him, he felt everything settle around him, like a blanket of calm. Something deep inside of him stirred at the very sight of her. He wrapped her in his arms, inhaled the sweet smell of her hair, all strawberries and Bella. Then he pulled back, looked into her eyes, and found something there. Something that he had no doubt reflected everything he was feeling.

"Uh, Mr. Cullen?" The man he assumed was the local producer called him.

"Can you give me just a minute?"

"Yup, whenever you're ready."

Edward tucked Bella's head under his chin and gently rocked her back and forth for a second. "Hey."

"Hey yourself" she murmured, and lifted her head to look at him. Sometimes, late at night, she wondered if her mind was embellishing the look she remembered on his face the last time she'd seen him. If maybe it wasn't as loving, or as intense, or as downright, undeniably sexy as she remembered. But there it was. All those things, and more, wrapped up in an incredibly handsome package.

He ran a finger down her cheek and then kissed her softly, gently. It was a long kiss, full of tenderness and the promise of things to come. When they broke apart, he rested his forehead against hers.

"I, um, have to work for awhile."

"I know. Can I stick around and watch?"

"I'd like it if you did. Very much."

She stood with Alice and watched their men at work. Jasper and Edward were soon absorbed in what they were doing. It seemed as though it took longer to set everything up than it did to film the actual spot.

Jasper, since he wasn't on camera, seemed to be taking great pleasure in throwing flirty winks Alice's way every so often. Edward saw what he was doing, but didn't dare copy him. He was afraid that if he looked over at Bella, the broadcast would be a lot less PG-13 than TV was supposed to be. Instead, he imagined Starbucks coffee being poured down the front of his pants by an angry producer, and kept his eye on the camera.

For her part, Bella could not believe how amazingly, well…hot, to be honest, Edward looked in his reporting mode.

"You keep staring at him like that" said Alice quietly "and I'm going to have to pour a cup of iced coffee over your head."

"For Good Morning Chicago, I'm Edward Cullen, reporting live from the Space Needle in Seattle."

"Okay, that's it everyone. Thanks." Jasper shook hands with all the local people.

Jasper took off with Alice, and Edward rode with Bella to the hotel.

"That was amazing, watching you work. You must really enjoy it."

Edward smiled, sheepishly. "I do, actually. I mean, I don't want to sound like I'm bragging or anything, but it's really my dream job."

"When did you know it was what you wanted to do?"

"Honestly? As far back as I can remember. I like the idea of being able to explain things to people in ways that will make sense, to point out important things that can make their lives easier, or at least explain why they're so complicated."

"That's sort of the way I think about things too. I've always wanted to have a book store. Books help people make sense of the world. Not just non-fiction stuff, history, science, things that teach you facts, but novels too. Books that show us what life can be." She looked away from the road for just a second. "That show us what love can be, and the happiness that's out there for most of us."

"You're pretty passionate about this."

"I am" she admitted. "Even children's books serve a greater purpose than just entertaining us."

"Like the books you're reading to the kids at the hospital."

Her face flushed with pride. "Yes, like that. We're distracting them, sure, and keeping them from thinking about all the tests and the treatments, if only for a little while. But I feel like we're giving them hope, too. I don't know, maybe that's kind of pretentious of me."

Edward reached over and took her hand. "I don't think its pretentious at all. I think it's wonderful what you're doing."

Bella pulled into the hotel's valet parking. "Leah, the little girl that started all this? She asked me today if I have a boyfriend."

"And what did you say?"

"I might have said yes."

"Might have?"

"Well, the competition is a 7 year old with a broken leg."

"Huh" said Edward, thoughtfully. "Tough competition."

"And he has a green and purple cast on it. Pretty cool, if you ask me."

Edward walked around the car and opened the door before the valet could get to it. He held out a hand to help her out of the car, then pulled her tight to his chest, his eyes gazing intently into hers. "I don't know if I can compete with a green and purple cast, but I'd sure like to give it my best shot."

Bella nearly melted. "What time is our dinner reservation?"

"Two hours" said Edward. "Two hours to convince you I should be your boyfriend."

Too late, thought Bella, as they approached the front desk. She'd been convinced of that since five minutes after she first set eyes on him.


End file.
